Council urge residents across the district to get out and register for general election

Alexander Beard

The deadline is looming to register and have your say on next month's general election.

Harrogate Borough Council is urging people to make sure they do not miss out on voting by ensuring they are registered before midnight on Monday, May 22.

Jennifer Norton, Deputy Acting Returning Officer for Harrogate Borough Council said: “The general election registration deadline is fast approaching. With less than two weeks to go I would urge everyone in the Harrogate district to take action now if they are not already registered to vote.

“This election is an opportunity to have your say on who will represent the people of the Harrogate district at a national level. We don’t want anyone to miss out on this opportunity.”

Voters who are unable to vote in person on Thursday 8 June can apply for a postal or proxy vote. The deadline to do this is Tuesday, May 23 and voters will receive their ballot papers around Wednesday May, 31.

Anyone who has not yet received a poll card may not be registered to vote at their current address, you can however do this online at www.gov.uk/registertovote

Many people who move to a new area often do no realize the steps necessary to be able to vote, something the electoral commission hope to raise awareness of.

Emma Hartley, Head of Campaigns at the Electoral Commission, said: “Our research indicates that recent home movers in particular are less likely to be registered to vote. Often people think that applying to pay council tax means you are added to the electoral register too, but that is not the case. If you’ve moved house in the past few months make sure you take five minutes and go online to register to vote now.”

There are three parliamentary constituencies within the Harrogate district, Harrogate and Knaresborough, Skipton and Ripon, Selby and Ainsty. Registered voters will be able to vote for one of the candidates standing in the constituency in which they live.